Unpredictable
by Echoheart
Summary: Life is unpredictable; you never know what day will be your last. Such is the case for Dante, Danny Fenton's twin brother, who died due to a weapon malfunction while helping his parents clean the lab. As the months go by, a strange ghost appears in Amity.
1. A Talk

Twincestplz :D

**Summary**: Life is unpredictable; you never know what day will be your last. Such is the case for Dante Fenton, Danny Fenton's twin brother, who died due to a weapon malfunction while helping his parents clean the lab. Two months later, a new ghost is seen around Amity.

This story is pitch pearl, which means there will be a Danny/Phantom pairing, but there will probably be a few moments of Danny/Sam in here. I'm just warning you before hand. I will be throwing in one ghost as the 'villain' of the story. Props to those who figure it out before the reveal.

_

* * *

_

It was a quiet night for once, he didn't remember the last time the house had been this silent. It was... nice. No loud bangs or shouts from the basement, no ghost alarms or drills. Just silence.

_He leaned back for a moment, enjoying it while it lasted, sighing as the quiet was predictably broken by footsteps thudding down the stairs._

_His icy blue eyes instinctively turned to the source. "Where you off too?"_

"_I'm going to the movies with Sam and Tucker, you wanna come with?"_

"_Sorry, Danny, I'm supposed to help mom and dad clean the lab again."_

_Danny winced in sympathy. "Didn't you just do that two days ago?"_

_His twin brother, Dante 'Dan' grimaced and nodded. "Yeah. You should get going. Wouldn't want to keep Sam and Tucker waiting, would you?"_

_Danny hesitated. "I guess. I'll see you later, then."_

_Dan gave a small smile, "Course. See 'ya Danny."_

"...See you later."

Days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months, yet remembering still hurt. Hundreds of 'what if's?' running through his head. He'd always wondered if he'd been a little more persistent, or if he'd stayed home that day, would his brother still be alive?

He shook his head, trying desperately to dispel the questions and thoughts lodged in his brain. No matter what, that day, that moment, was caught like a broken record in his mind, constantly and endlessly repeating itself without mercy, clawing and tearing brutally at his fragile mental walls.

He knew his family were worried about him, constantly checking to make sure he was alright and still here. If he didn't know any better he'd think they expected him to runaway, or worse.

He glanced at the clock, waiting for the blurry numbers to re-arrange themselves. _Almost ten thirty_,_ which means..._ Right on cue, he wasn't surprised by the soft knock on he door.

"Danny?" The hushed breath barely reached his ears. "You awake?"

He didn't even look at his visitor, turning his attention out the window towards the starry sky.

"Danny, this isn't healthy. You need to talk to someone-"

"I don't need a shrink, Jazz, I'm fine." His words sounded hollow, even to him.

He felt the bed shift slightly as she sat beside him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Danny... Listen, I know you two were close, but it's been two months and you don't seem to be getting any better. If you're not hanging out with your friends you're locking yourself away in your room. You three used to be nearly inseparable. Your grades are slipping too, and-"

"There are more important things than school, Jazz."

She sighed. "You know what I mean Danny."

Danny scowled slightly, pushing away her hand and looking at his sister for the first time that day. "Look Jazz, I know you're trying to help, and I know I'll appreciate it later, but right now, I don't."

"Whether you want my help or not, you're going to get it. This isn't healthy behavior Danny, I know you feel guilty about Dan's accident, but there's nothing you could have done."

Danny closed his eyes, trying to hold back the unwanted emotions he felt rising within him. "There's everything I could have done." He whispered.

Jazz frowned. "Just talk to someone Danny, please. It doesn't have to be me. You're not the only one that misses him you know."

He shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He gave no reply, instead he returned his attention out the window uncertainly. When he looked back, Jazz was gone.

With a sigh, Danny threw the covers over him, burying his face into his pillow as he blocked out the world.

* * *

The school cafeteria was as busy and noisy as always; people talking with friends, flirting with peers or just sitting quietly. Such was the case at the table in the far corner of the room where the school's outcasts sat.

The three friends ate quietly, only sharing small conversations before falling into silence again.

"So, Danny, you wanna come over after school? We haven't had a Friday Night Movie Marathon in a while." Sam Manson, self-proclaimed Goth and strict Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian, offered with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, the three of us haven't really hung out in, like, forever." Tucker added.

Danny frowned. As much as he tried to deny it he knew he'd been pushing his friends away, despite their attempts to cheer him up. It was true that they hadn't really hung out together in weeks.

After a brief moment Danny returned the smile with one of his own, even if it did seem slightly forced.

"Sure, why not?" The two stopped, leaving Danny to continue forwards a few steps before realizing he was alone. "...What?"

"Do you mean it?"

He blinked. "Yeah?"

"Really?"

"_Yes_ Sam, I mean it."

The said girl instantly broke into a big grin. "That's great! You can pick the first movie—if you want to, I mean."

"Okay."

Throughout the rest of lunch the three teens continued to discuss their plans for the day, throwing away what was left of their food before the bell rang and they left for class.

The school day passed by in a blur, and Danny, having found nothing able to catch his attention, found himself feeling somewhat excited, if not a little anxious, to be hanging out with his friends again. The idea of spending time with Sam and Tucker seemed almost foreign to him.

The three teens met each other outside the school doors, walking to Sam's in silence.

* * *

I'm not sure if I'll continue this, I mean, I started writing this back in April. _**April.**_It's friggin September now. Plus, I'm working on getting my Two-shot finished (I've only got the beginning of part 2 done) and adding new chapters to my other stories, so I'm not sure if I should be adding another thing to the list. I shouldn't, but I probably will. ^^;

-  
**Posted**  
September 06, 2010  
-

October 20: Yup, chapter 2 is in progress. I would appreciate it if you all left more reviews, you know.


	2. Sneaking Out

**Recap:  
**_The school day passed by in a blur, and Danny, having found nothing able to catch his attention, found himself feeling somewhat excited, if not a little anxious, to be hanging out with his friends again. The idea of spending time with Sam and Tucker seemed almost foreign to him.  
__The three teens met each other outside the school doors, walking to Sam's in silence._

"Daniel James Fenton! Where the hell have you been?"

The said boy cringed in his mother's arms, barely able to breathe much less give a coherent answer as she all but crushed the life out of him.

He really hadn't meant to be out as late as he was; time had passed so quickly that he hadn't even noticed it was well after midnight. Danny and Tucker had been shocked to realize that their gothic companion was secretly rich and had spent a good portion of the night listening to Tucker enthusiastically shoot question after question about the things her family owned and the places they'd been.

He new he wouldn't have been home at all if Tucker hadn't been so diligent about his use of technology; his bespeckled friend having given a rather impressive shriek when he finally realized what time it had been and the two of them had immediately said their goodbyes before rushing to their respective homes. But, he had to admit, that after sitting in Sam's oversized downstairs watching movies and talking like they once had, he felt better about everything. He felt lighter, as if the restraints that held him down were starting to break and let him go.

"Mom - can't - breathe!" He gasped.

Maddie abruptly released her vice like gip on her son, placing her hands on her hips and giving him a stern, demanding look instead. Standing to her full height and jutting her chin out, he'd never seen his mother look so intimidating.

"Well young man?" His father frowned. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Danny resisted the urge to cringe.

"I… went to Sam's. We watched a couple movies… I'm… sorry-"

"Wait. The spooky chick in black?"

_Is there any other Sam?_ He frowned at his parents. He knew it had been awhile, but they didn't need to look _that_ shocked. "And Tucker."

"Oh, sweetie, that's great!" Maddie trilled, clasping her hands together and pulling them close to her chest, her violet eyes wide with delight. "How was it? Did you have fun? Did you make any more plans with them?"

"Um, well, in order; it was good, yeah, I did and sort of." By now her red mouth was blooming into a wide smile.

"Oh Danny, I'm so proud of you!" She locked her arms around him again, being a little gentler than she had been before, before pulling abruptly away. "But you're still grounded."

* * *

Danny was used to being stuck in his room. He had barely left it in the last two months, only leaving to go to school and satisfy his needs. This time, however, he was not there willingly. Knowing he couldn't leave without being seen by his parents or sister made it surprisingly unbearable. He was itching to do something, to leave his room. Maybe do something productive; maybe… maybe hang out with his friends again.

The fourteen year old sighed in frustration. He'd only been in his room for just over an hour and had already tried to occupy himself with the things in his room, but he couldn't concentrate on any of it for long.

With another sigh he flopped down on his bed, glaring at his ceiling as if it were the cause of his problems. He was hard pressed for entertainment, and he knew his friends would be unavailable to hang out. They had long since retired for the night and he doubted they would appreciate him calling at this hour.

Eyes flicking at the clock he noted it was nearly two thirty in the morning. Definitely too late for them to come out, but…

Pursing his lips he began to steel himself for what he was about to do. Danny had never been one to disobey his parents. That had always been more of his brother's thing. No, Danny and Jazz had worked to be model children, working for hard grades and never acting out. It was like they'd gone through life following a blueprint someone else had drawn up for them; following every rule, every order, just to please others and stand up with a show of normalcy.

But not anymore.

Danny sat up slowly and moved as quietly as he could towards his door. Holding his breath he began inching the door open, praying it wouldn't creak. Once there was enough of a gap for a human body to fit he inched his way between the door and the frame, pausing only to make sure the hall was clear.

He released his breathe in a gusty sigh and crept over to and down the stair case, grabbing his shoes and sweater before walking out the front door and into the moonlight. An unconscious grin made its way onto Danny's face as he made his way down the deserted street he something curled up in his stomach. I was like… a nervous excitement. It was strange, but felt insanely good, he felt lighter than he had in weeks. Danny soon lost track of time as he let go of the expectations, responsibilities, emotions that had weighed him down for as long as he could remember.

Danny froze when he saw a white glow to his right, whipping his head around, but it was gone before he could properly focus on it. Danny hesitated, frowning slightly. Maybe Jazz was right about his sanity after all. He was about to move again when a faint trickling noise bubbled to his ears. After pinpointing where the noise came from he slowly moved forwards, as if on autopilot. It wasn't long before he was standing at the edge of a fountain, staring at his reflection as it rippled in the water. His good mood immediately evaporated, replaced by a unwanted torrent of emotions surged within him and he stared mournfully at the face in the water, whatever he was feeling was lost to anger, his face twisting into an ugly scowl. It wasn't fair! Why did he always have to be reminded of everything, no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried to forget? Whenever he looked into the mirror it was always Dan's face, Dan's eyes staring back. He couldn't escape it. And Danny was sick of it. Turning on his heels Danny spun around and stormed out of the park, the glow in the trees long forgotten.

As he headed back to his house he was horrified to realize he could already see the sun peaking over the horizon. He'd stayed out all night.

Curing under his breath Danny ran as fast as he could, feet pounding loudly against the asphalt in his frenzied attempt to make it back to his room and pretend to have slept the night away before his family woke. Gasping for breath Danny shot through the door-remembering just in time that he needed to be as quiet as possible. Throwing off his shoes he stumbled up the steps and into his room, diving under his covers despite wearing his everyday clothes.

When his breathing returned back to normal Danny felt himself beginning to doze off when his bedroom door opened.

"Danny," he felt someone shake him gently. "It's time to get up; you don't want to be late for school, do you?"

Danny nearly wept.

Instead, he voiced his outrage with a quiet groan as he rolled over, unexpectedly coming face to face with his sister. He yelped alarm and jerked away from her, nearly falling out of his bed in the process. "Jeez Jazz, doesn't 'personal space' mean anything to you?"

He half expected her to lecture him, and was thoroughly taken aback when her lips quirked in a smile.

"I'll see you downstairs little brother." She murmured. And before he could react she ruffled his hair, ignoring his indignant cry at the treatment, leaving him alone to do his morning prep.

Forcing himself out of bed he struggled to make it to his feet. He already knew it was going to be a long day. Maybe he could feign sick? …No, his parents would see right through it, even if they didn't they'd take him straight to the doctor to make sure he was okay.

Danny knew he was screwed. He eyed his bed mournfully. He wanted nothing more than to curl up under the covers and sleep for the rest of the day but he knew it wouldn't happen. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. One sleepless night couldn't really hurt, could it?

* * *

**Posted:** November 10, 2010  
Let's pretend it's the beginning of the school year, mid summer, so the sun will rise around six-ish in the morning. Oh, and in the show, Tucker mentions that their school hours are 7:30-3:30, so I imagine Danny would get up around 6:30...ish.

Let's also know I think that because of his parents' eccentric attitudes, and the fact that everyone believes his family is crazy for their beliefs in ghosts, that he probably had to grow up dealing with everyone's prejudices. I mean, in the beginning he follows the crowd, going after everything that the rest of the world says he should want, and do, and try to be; probably to get away from the ghost-craziness of his parents. – Perhaps there are those who would use their religion to persecute him and his siblings because his family was involved in 'the devil's work' too? I don't know…–

Oh, yes, and happy _Remembrance Day _everyone.


	3. Bad Days

**Recap:**

_He eyed his bed mournfully. He wanted nothing more than to curl up under the covers and sleep for the rest of the day but he knew it wouldn't happen. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. One sleepless night couldn't really hurt, could it?_

It didn't take long before Danny realized just how wrong he was. How did people _do_ this? He'd been struggling all morning to keep his eyes open and was slowly losing the battle. He had never fallen asleep in class before and didn't plan to start now, no matter how appealing it was at the moment. Danny felt eyelids begin to close and his body became significantly heavier with his fatigue. But maybe… maybe just this _once_ he could…

Danny jumped in alarm, nearly falling out of his desk, when a hand slammed on the wooden surface. Looking up with wide eyes he saw his teacher staring down at him, the short and balding man looked torn between concern and annoyance.

"Mr. Fenton, I would appreciate it if you paid attention when I'm talking. You can finish your little nap after school." The boy stared for a moment before giving a mumbled apology and Mr. Felucca, now satisfied, returned back to the front of the class and continued his lesson, throwing numbers on the board while others scrawled the questions on their paper in their own messy cursive.

Danny sighed and sank down in his chair and tried to focus on whatever Mr. Felucca was talking about. He was dimly aware of a quiet ringing noise, probably the bell, and slowly set to work on gathering his things. Before he could leave his teacher moved to stand in his way. Danny looked at him, confused and wary.

"Mr. Fenton, a moment, if you please." The bespeckled man gestured back to Danny's desk. Following the cue Danny sat back down, impatiently waiting for the teacher to speak.

"Now, Danny, I know things have been kind of tough for you lately, and I hope you don't mind my asking but, if you need someone to talk to I'm willing to listen." Danny opened his mouth to object, but Mr. Falucca didn't give him a chance. "If you are uncomfortable talking to your teachers or family there's always the school counsellor. I'm sure Ms. Erikson would be would be more than willing to set up an appointment with you."

Danny frowned. "Thanks for your concern, Mr. Felucca, but I don't think that'll be necessary." He murmured as politely as he could, struggling to keep his irritation to himself.

The man nodded. "Alright, but if you change your mind don't be afraid to go see her. No one's here to judge you, you know."

Danny nodded and gave the man a tight smile. "I'm sorry Mr. Felucca, but I need to get to class-"

"Of course."

One signed note later, Danny was on his own in the halls of Casper High, shuffling through his locker, digging for the appropriate binder only to find it not there. He realized it was probably still sitting in his room somewhere and groaned, knocking his forehead against the old metal lockers, standing there to wallow in his misery for several minutes. This was definitely not turning out to be his day. With a slight grumble Danny slammed his locker shut, hearing a small click as it automatically locked itself, and stormed down the halls. If he was lucky he wouldn't need his things today.

Danny rolled his eyes. Yeah. As if. By the time he finally made it to his Food Studies class he was well over fifteen minutes late. He spent the rest of the period ignoring his teacher deciding whatever was happening wasn't very important. It's not like it would matter anyways, he already had an A in the class. By the time lunch arrived Danny felt more asleep than awake, stumbling though the halls in a slight daze.

"…anny, dude… kay?" Danny blinked.

Two hands placed themselves on his shoulders, shaking him gently. "…llo? Hey–hello? Danny! Snap out of it." When he voiced a small whine of discomfort the shaking stopped, but the hands stayed firm on his shoulders.

"Dude, you look awful. You okay?"

"…Guys?" Danny frowned in mild confusion. He was startled to see Sam so close to him, standing less than a foot away, while Tucker stood further back, worriedly peeking over the Goth's shoulders.

Danny stared stupidly at them before finally processing his friend's words. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired." He tried to give them a reassuring smile.

Sam frowned. "A little? You look dead on, I mean, well maybe you're coming down with something?" At her words Tucker edged away, shooting a wary look at his raven haired friend.

Danny shook his head. "I'm fine, Sam. I was up pretty late last night, that's all."

The girl hesitated. "Danny…" She sighed, removing her hands from his shoulders and turning her head away. "Come on; let's get something to eat before lunch is over." Tucker gave a small whoop of joy and Sam glared at him. "Just promise me you'll stop by the nurse's office later today, please?"

"…Sure."

Tucker stared. There was a tense and possibly even awkward air around his two friends. He narrowed his eyes in thought, but before he could really think about it Sam finally spoke up.

"Okay, cool."

Without warning she turned away. Her steps were rushed as she left the two boys behind in the hall. They stood there for a moment, stupefied by her sudden retreat before rushing after their friend, calling for her to slow down.

When the trio reached the cafeteria they ordered their respective meals, having a small argument about why veggies were better than meat and vise versa. Danny didn't dare tune his friends out, uncertain if he would have to come between them if things got ugly. Thankfully they kept most of their opinions to themselves and therefore ended the fight sooner than usual. Danny didn't like having to choose between his friends whenever they got in a spat and always tried to remain as neutral as possible, which usually lead to several accusations of him being unfair and choosing sides. Sometimes it even lead them to argue about who _Danny_ liked better. He loved Sam and Tucker, he really did. But when they disagreed on something they could give him a pretty nasty headache.

Sam and Tucker began to talk to each other about their classes and Danny's attention began to drift. It felt like only seconds had passed before he felt someone gently shake his shoulder. The boy groaned and struggled to lift his head from the table. He began mumbling something, his words muffled by his arm and becoming indistinguishable.

Sam lifted Danny's head up off his arms and gave him a contemplative stare. "I think you should go home. You look beat." Danny opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by a yawn. Sam's lips twitched into a smug grin.

It didn't take much to convince Danny to go home. Whether or not he could make it, however, that was debatable. He'd probably need to get a ride.

He jumped when a nearby door swung open, revealing a read headed woman clad in a read suit. He caught a glimpse of bright green eyes behind the dark pair of sunglasses she wore. For reasons totally beyond him, Danny began to edge away from her.

"Oh, hello, I didn't see you there! Did you come by to make an appointment?" She said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Danny stopped for a moment before he realized she had just been in the shrinks office. Shaking his head Danny muttered. "Oh, uh, no. I'm not-"

"Don't worry, I've got some free time. You look like you need someone to talk to. Come on in." Danny backed away from her.

"Free time? What are you, the shrinks secretary?" …Did psychologists even have secretaries?

The woman smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet! How rude of me. I'm Ms. Spectra." She said brightly. "I'll be filling in for Ms. Erikson this week."

Danny raised a brow, giving her a quick look over. "So, you're a counsellor?"

"Uh-huh. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Err, no?"

Spectra grinned. "That's okay. I'm sure we'll get along great, kid."

"It's Danny."

An apologetic look crossed her face. "Oh, my bad." She moved closer to him, pacing her hand on his shoulder and winked. "I'll be seeing you around, Danny."

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'm uh, gonna go now." Danny shook her hand off and quickly walked past the cheerful woman, making a b-line for the nurse's office so he could get a slip and go home.

* * *

-  
**Posted:** November 19, 2010  
**Edited:** November 29, 2010  
-

Filler chapter is filler chapter. _ Spectra was a last minute add in. She wasn't really gonna come in until a few chapters later, but…

**Danny**

Chemistry C+

Algebra B-

Food Studies A-

-Lunch-

Phys Ed D

Astronomy A

**Tucker**

History B

Algebra C

Sewing A

-Lunch-

Phys Ed D

Computers A

**Sam**

Art B+

Algebra B-

Biology A

-Lunch-

Phys Ed B

Astronomy C+

Yes, yesterday I actually got bored enough to make up a class schedule and grade points for them… I have no life. –shame face-

I saw Tuckers classes and marks a few months ago in _What You Want_, and built Sam and Danny's schedule off that. (I did change Tuckers grades a little to accommodate for their lack of ghost hunting in this fic, but he _did_ have those A's in the actual show).

If you've got any questions about their classes just say something and I'll get back to you on it.


	4. Counselling

Okay, first things first. I removed the last chapter. Danny and Phantom have not met yet. Why? It was just… no. It just didn't work. I'm re-doing the Danny/Phantom reunion and interaction, probably keeping some of the parts I already did but it will be better. This way it's also better set up for sum ghost fights. Sorry if it's an inconvenience to anyone. ^^;

Also, a couple of days have passed here, just so you know.

* * *

"Well now this wont do at all." The woman muttered as she rummaged through the filing cabinet, her carefully plucked eyebrows knitting together creasing her aging face. With a small 'aha' she pulled out a folder, clipped to the tabbed paper with the image of a young raven haired teenager secured at the top and set it gently on her desk before rifling through its contents.

"Alright Daniel," she said, finally looking up at the teenager sitting on the opposite of her desk. His reluctance was clear, but after all these weeks she didn't see any other options. She refused to stand around any longer. "I've been checking your records and, though you appear to be doing well academically you're… we're concerned about your well-being." She paused, choosing her next words carefully. "I know you chose not to go before, but I've spoken to Ms. Spectra and we think you would benefit from speaking with her."

The room was silent as she waited patiently for the young boy to respond. Though he had tensed at her words he did not move at all, his head remained down, eyes fixed on the fabric of his sweater as he slouched in the chair keeping his arms stubbornly crossed. A time ticked away it became clear he wasn't going to speak.

She sighed. "We've scheduled your appointment for one o'clock. Everyday."

"_What_?" Well, that certainly got a reaction out of him. "You just-this isn't-I-You can't do that!" the blue eyed boy hissed, nearly leaping out of his seat.

"On the contrary, Mr. Fenton, I most certainly can, will and have. This has gone on for far too long. You will be present at Ms. Spectra's office even if I-or any of the staff-have to wait and personally escort you." She said firmly.

"But Ms. Ishiyama-!"

"You may return to class now Daniel. Ms. Spectra has already prepared for your session today." The principle took one last look at the teen astounded face, his mouth gaping slightly in disbelief, before busying herself with a stack of forms sitting on her desk. A clear signal that the conversation was over.

With a muted growl Danny stalked out of the office and grudgingly retuned to class to gather his things before meeting Spetra.

* * *

"You do realise you're overreacting, right?" Tucker asked around a mouthful of burger, much to their gothic companion's disgust.

"I am not!" Danny protested. "That shrink just so… preppy."

"I seriously doubt she's as creepy as you say."

Sam scoffed, glaringly lightly at her friend. "What do you know? You've never met-let alone _seen_ the woman."

"Yeah but you haven't either. I don't see what you're complaining about anyways," he said, turning back to Danny. "You got to miss _gym_. We played dodge ball! We were against, like, the entire football team." Tucker cried.

"You poor thing."

The black boy sputtered indignantly and Danny barely chocked back a laugh as the two began one of their age old arguments. Shaking his head in mild amusement Danny grabbed a handful of fries from his tray. Really the meeting with Spectra hadn't been all bad, just some of the things she said rubbed him the wrong way. But what had bothered him most was the woman herself. Something didn't seem right with her, she reminded him too much of Sam's parents with her sugary sweet voice and bright grin… Maybe Sam was rubbing off on him?

It had gone well until she had bought _it_ up, nearly sending him crashing back into the hole he'd only recently began to dig himself out of. Danny knew he wasn't really over his brother's death. Not yet at least. And though Danny knew it was the whole point of him being there he really didn't want to talk about it.

When he finally left the office near the end of the period he felt worse than he had before. Sam had walked with him to Astronomy, the shorter girl casting several concerned glances his way and pestering him with notes during Lancers lesson until the bell released them. By that time Danny was feeling more like himself and had invited Sam and Tucker to the Nasty Burger-his treat.

"Anyways," he said loudly, quickly silencing his friends. "You guys have plans for today?"

The two paused for a moment-why did they have to look so surprised?-and Sam opened her mouth, closing it quickly before frowning. "Are you still grounded?"

Oh. Right. He'd completely forgotten his mother's overreaction a few nights ago. "Yeah," he groaned.

"Cheer up man; it's not like they've ever taken a punishment seriously right? Heck they've probably forgotten already and if not I doubt they'll notice I you leave, I mean they'll probably be in the lab."

He slouched in defeat. "_They _won't, Jazz will."

"Just ask her to cover for you. I'm sure she'll do it. She can be real annoying but she's not all bad."

"No, but she can be a real goody-goody sometimes." Danny groused.

"Well, why not give it a try?"

"Yeah man, summers practically over! We need to make use of it while we can." Tucker grinned wickedly and Danny found himself slowly returning it. Grabbing his cell phone Danny called his sister. It had been far less painless than he thought it'd be. With only a mild disapproval she had agreed to cover for him if necessary.

"So, what should we do?" Danny asked. "Anything in particular you guys have in mind?"

Tucker made a 'hmm' noise. "What about the mall?"

Sam wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, no. The rejects are there. I heard them talking about an after school shopping spree."

"Paulina's at the mall?"

Sam snorted. "I swear they go to the mall at least three times a week then play that's hot and gossip like the simpletons they are."

The boys stared. "Geez Sam, what do you do, stalk them?"

The gothic girl bristled. "We can go to the pool. It's open till seven." She growled through clenched teeth.

"You just want to see Danny half naked." Tucker said absently, jerking away at the sudden pain in his shin. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You know very well what."

Tucker glance at his friend in confusion, his green eyes darting from Danny to Sam and back again, idly noting their blushing faces, before a knowing gin split across his face. "_Oh_."

Danny cleared his throat, struggling to control the red spreading across his face. "Sounds great Sam, but I can't safely get into my house right now, so…" He shrugged.

The girl frowned pensively. "Well, we can either buy one or Tucker can let you borrow one of his if he's got a spare."

"Of course Tucker has no say in this, does he?" The said boy spoke in mock indignation putting his hand on his chest. "That hurts you know."

Danny turned away to hide his grin while Sam gave him a false apology.

"So, to the pool?" Sam asked, leaning forwards expectantly.

Danny nodded. "To the pool."


	5. Apologies

Oh wow, I am so, so sorry about leaving this story for so long! It's been over a year since I updated. I have so many excuses I could give you all but, really, all I have to say is life has caught up with me and taken me hostage. I have school and a job so it's hard to have spare time. :'D

HOWEVER.

I am rewriting this story.

Originally, I just went along with whatever popped into my head and didn't really plan ahead. This story has barely begun and it's a mess. Not to mention my writing abilities have (hopefully) improved since I began. I'm refining the story, giving longer chapters, and, hopefully, can have regular updates (monthly or bi monthly updates?). It's going to be VERY different.

Again, I apologize for this. D:

Hope to see you guys at the re-write!


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